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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. season — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. row — to paddle
  7. object — to protest
  8. row — a line
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pop — to visit
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pop — music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bound — certain
  16. object — an aim
  17. pop — soda
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fine — all right
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. season — of the year
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com